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Connecticut Today - September 2, 2026 · Connecticut Today

• 0:05
  P>Good morning. It's Wednesday, September 2nd, and this is Connecticut Today, CT
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  Insider's daily audio briefing. Catch up on Connecticut, all news, no noise
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  in under five minutes. We're starting off with a quick look at
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  the the weather. After a stormy start to September, Connecticut will see
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  mostly cloudy skies and cooler temperatures today. Most areas should Stay dry
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  through the afternoon, but rain is expected to return tonight. Stay tuned
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  for the full weather update at the end of this briefing. In
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  today's headlines, Governor Ned Lamont has confirmed his personal involvement in awarding
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  a 250,000 no-bid consulting contract to Cardona Solutions LLC, The firm led
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  by former U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. Cardona was also appointed
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  by Lamont to chair the Connecticut Career Pathways Commission, which is tasked
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  with developing a five-year workforce plan. The contract, split into three phases,
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  has not yet resulted in any payments, according to the State Controller's
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  Office. The Office of Workforce Strategy waived competitive bidding rules due to
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  a tight timeline for the commission's work. State ethics officials found the
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  arrangement did not violate ethics codes, but noted Cardona is subject to
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  certain contractor rules. Republican gubernatorial nominee Ryan Fasio criticized the deal, saying,
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  Connecticut's families are paying higher taxes and bills that ever thanks to
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  Governor Lamont's unaffordable policies, while This politically connected friends continue to get
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  rewarded. U.S. Senator Richard Blunthal is demanding answers from Postmaster federal David
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  Steiner after a whistleblower alleged the U.S. Postal Service is moving forward
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  with a new online ballot system that could restrict mail-in voting. Blumenthal
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  said the whistleblower claims The Postal Service lacks the technical ability to
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  safely implement the system, which is part of President Donald Trump's executive
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  order on mail-in ballots. The senator warned that the rushed rollout could
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  risk disenfranchising voters in the upcoming midterm elections. Blumenthal gave the Postal
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  Service until September 8 to provide records and communications about the new
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  ballot portal. The Associated Press reports that the Postal Service and the
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  White House have not commented on the allegations, this story is still
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  developing. Connecticut preservationists are raising concerns about proposed federal rules that could
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  weaken protections for historic sites. The Trump administration's plan would narrow the
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  review process for federal projects affecting sites on the National Register of
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  Historic Places. Preservationists say this could impact more than 1,500 sites in
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  Connecticut, including landmarks like the Colt Building in Hartford and the Lockwood
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  Matthews Mansion in Norwalk. The proposed changes would limit which sites are
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  protected, reduce requirements to consult with Native American tribes, and make public
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  comment optional. State and national preservation officials warned the changes could have
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  lasting effects on Connecticut historic neighborhoods p>And
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  public spaces. The new rules are under review and could face legal
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  challenges before taking effect. Admissions officials at Connecticut colleges stay students need
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  move than strong grades to stand out. Many schools use a holistic
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  approach, looking at personal essays, extracurricular interests, and interviews to get a
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  fuller picture of applicants. Mark Dunn from Yale University said: We are
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  looking for real thinking, feeling human beings as opposed to simply collections
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  of accolades or achievements. Some schools, like Yale, require SAT or ACT
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  scores, while others, such as Quinni Piac University, make test scores optional.
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  Officials recommend students focus on authentic interests and consider participating in interviews,
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  though interviews are not required for admission. Team USA is set to
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  defend its title at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in Berlin,
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  aiming for a fifth consecutive gold medal. Three former Yukon women's basketball
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  stars, Brianna Stewart, Nafisa Collier, and Paige Beckers, will play for Team
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  USA, with Beckers and Collier making their World Cup debuts. The tournament
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  features 16 countries and several former Huskies will also play for France
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  and Hungary. The United States has won 30 straight World Cup games
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  and is looking to tie the record for most consecutive goals. All
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  games will be streamed on HBO Max, with US games airing on
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  TNT and True TV. The Connecticut Sun will resume WNBA play on
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  September 17 after the World Cup break. And now for the full
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  weather forecast. Connecticut will remain mostly cloudy and cooler than normal today,
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  with highs in the lower to middle seventies. Most areas will stay
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  dry during the day, but showers and possible thunderstorms are expected to
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  move in tonight, especially in western and northwestern parts of the state.
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  Thanks for listening. For more local news, visit ctinsider.com. This digest was
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  partially generated by AI and then reviewed and edited by our newsroom
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  staff.